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'Mad Men' Recap: What the Hell Just Happened? (Season 6, Episode 8)

By:
Brian Moylan
May 20, 2013

Mad Men started with Ken Cosgrove almost getting killed in the craziest car ride since Blue Velvet and ended with Don scaling back at work under the emotional weight of, what exactly? Mommy issues? Marital issues? His newfound speed addiction? Maybe a little bit of everything?
This episode was sort of everything that has been wrong with Season 6. We all loved that Mad Men always knew how to shock us and change direction in the most unexpected and interesting of ways, ways that, once the surprise was launched, seemed totally natural and inevitable in hindsight. This was not a surprise like that. This was just Ken Cosgrove tap dancing and Ginsberg slinging knives at Rizzo (considering Ginsberg's beat-inspired name, was their game of William Tell an allusion to the infamous version that William S. Burrows played with his wife?) without it really adding up to anything. Instead of being thematically whole, the episode was just a bunch of sound and fury signifying nothing. Well, it signified something, just not something very interesting.
I'm sure when the episode wrapped there were many people sitting at home thinking, "I totally didn't get that. Since this is Mad Men, I must not be smart enough to get it." Wrong. The problem was that the episode, while fun and entertaining, was so poorly plotted that even David Lynch would find it harder to follow than a polar bear in a blizzard.
And don't get me started on those flashbacks. They annoyed me the first time they were deployed this season, but in this otherwise chaotic episode, they certainly didn't help streamline things. Seeing Don's childhood directly takes something away from this unknowable anti-hero that the show has been cultivating all these years. It makes the show into something like Lost or, even worse, Once Upon a Time, where we're supposed to learn about the characters and their present situations based on events from the past. Has Mad Men fallen so far that it is now using a tired network storytelling device?
Of course, everyone is going to think that this episode was about drugs, because Jim Cutler gets everyone some sort of speed shot so they can be more creative. (Actually, in light of last season's wonderful LSD trip, it was almost like the writers said, "What if we did a whole episode like that?") This hour was not about drugs. It was really about Don's mommy issues. While I'm sure he's always had these, Don was always a much more literary character, signifying something about identity, the American dream, and the lies we use to get ahead. Now he's just a kid raised in a whore house who had some rough times. Now he's just a Freudian study.
Don has three maternal figures in this episode — well, two and a half, really. First there is his stepmother, who diagnoses his illness. The next is Aimeé, the hooker who nurses him back to health and then takes his virginity. The final one is Grandma Ida, who wasn't really a mother figure at all, but a con artist who pretended to be the woman who raised him. It's bad enough that Don never had a mother, but now we see that every woman who was kind to him when he was young was not only highly sexualized but also betrayed him in some way. All of Don's mothers, especially Grandma Ida, are imposters just like him.
The one interesting thing about this episode is how each of the mother figures are a direct parallel to one of the women that he's been in love with. First there is Betty (blonde and skinny again, just like we like her), his first love who has become a hectoring scold, just like his stepmother who called him dirty and beat him for sleeping with Aimeé. Next there is Megan, who found Don two seasons ago when he was sick, tricked him into loving her, and now is increasingly absent — following Aimée's arc. That leaves us with Sylvia, someone who used to sneak in through the back door, the maid's entrance, just like Ida did. Syivia also pretended to be someone she is not when she called Don at work and said she was Arnold. In the parallel trifecta, she has also stolen something from Don, something he thinks is important. It's his heart. Awww.
If you didn't realize this was about Don, his mothers, and his lovers, we had Wendy, a girl whose father just died, telling Don that he has a broken heart and leaving him wondering if anyone loves him. That's one of those classic Mad Men existential questions that is meant to be left unanswered.
While all this is going on, Don and everyone else is working on the Chevy account, which turns out to be much more trying than they thought it would be when they went after the business. Peggy and Ginsberg, the most sober of the crew, are herding the rest of the cats towards an idea. Stan has 666 ideas, none of which are any good. Don is trying to make everyone think that he's working, but he's really blacking out and flashing back, losing whole chunks of time when he's not fighting off the advances of an I Ching-loving hippie hussy.
But Don isn't doing anything. He's running around and searching for old soup ads, but he's not really thinking about Chevy. He's trying to piece together his own past and come up with the one thing that he can tell Sylvia to win her back. (In all these years, is this the first time we've seen Don not able to get a woman he wants?) When he calls Peggy and Ginsberg into his office to deliver what we expect to be one of his killer campaigns, it's just a bunch of gobbledygook. He carries on about trying to make the commercial what people tune in for rather than the entertainment, like he's going to develop product placement or something (maybe that was a dig against Christina Hendricks' Johnny Walker ads?) but it is really nothing. It's just Don being high.
After he goes home and passes out, the next day he wakes up and finally runs into Sylvia in the elevator. Earlier, he had been inventing ways of talking to her when he knocked on her door, but in the sober light of day, he remains silent. He walks away from her, knowing now that she is an invasive impostor who has barged into his house and upset things. She is not the solution, she is another symptom of the problem. He also marches into his office and says he will only be inspecting other people's work. He blames it on Chevy not wanting to make an ad for another three years, but it seems to be because he has lost his creative spark. Maybe it's because he has mined his past for all the material that he can. Now that he's coming to terms with that hooker raising him he doesn't have any schmaltzy soup/oatmeal ads left. This entire season seems to be about Don Draper's decline and now he's not only stopped producing good work, he's stopped producing work altogether.
Sally Draper got a decent amount of screen time this episode, and handled herself quite well in the tense and bizarre situation of dealing with Grandma Ida without getting herself killed. Through it she learned that she doesn't know anything about her father so she couldn't even tell Grandma Ida she was lying. When faced with the great lie of Don's past, everything else is unknowable. He has the opportunity to tell her something about himself, but he is interrupted, like always, by work. I also loved that Sally was in bed reading Rosemary's Baby and then is awoken by Ida. Last season we saw her terrorized by the idea of violence towards women, but now she's getting more comfortable and canny about the idea of evil in the world. I don't know if this is a good thing, but it's there.
Stan Rizzo was also a central figure this episode. Not only did he screw Wendy (while her dead father's former business partner watched, no less) but he also came onto Peggy while she was bandaging his arm, another maternal figure who has become sexualized. Peggy tries to stop him from kissing her and says she has a boyfriend, but there's something that makes her want to do it. It's like her kiss with Ted two weeks ago. Since Peggy is becoming Don Draper, she's copying a classic move of his: starting a new relationship to wreck the one she's already in. But she wisely stops herself with Stan because he's like a brother to her. I also loved her speech about having to feel the loss in your life and not try to escape through booze or sex. It seems like she was talking directly to Don even though he wasn't in the room.
Of course, we learn this when she tells us, point blank, that is why she isn't doing it. Apparently whatever drug they were all on, the one effect it had was to take all the subtext that is usually in the show and fill it with text. Like finding a book of Mad Libs that someone has already used, the blanks have already been filled in and all the fun is gone. Yes, it's funny when Ken Cosgrove does his tap dance, but his tap dance is quite literally a tap dance. He feels like his job is tap dancing for others. Duh. It all makes total sense, yet it all doesn't add up. That means that, no matter how much fun we had last night, it was all completely useless.
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More: 'Mad Men' Recap: Don Draper Gets Super Kinky'Mad Men' Recap: The Great Merger'Mad Men' Recap: Fathers, Sons, and Martin Luther King
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Robert Zemeckis is a blockbuster director at heart. Action has never been an issue for the man behind Back to the Future. When he puts aside the high concept adventures for emotional human stories — think Forrest Gump or Cast Away — he still goes big. His latest Flight continues the trend revolving the story of one man's fight with alcoholism around a terrifying plane crash. Zemeckis expertly crafts his roaring centerpiece and while he finds an agile performer in Denzel Washington the hour-and-a-half of Flight after the shocking moment can't sustain the power. The "big" works. The intimate drowns.
Washington stars as Whip Whitaker a reckless airline pilot who balances his days flying jumbo jets with picking up women snorting lines of cocaine and drinking himself to sleep. Although drunk for the flight that will change his life forever that's not the reason the plane goes down — in fact it may be the reason he thinks up his savvy landing solution in the first place. Writer John Gatins follows Whitaker into the aftermath madness: an investigation of what really happened during the flight Whitaker's battle to cap his addictions and budding relationships that if nurtured could save his life.
Zemeckis tops his own plane crash in Cast Away with the heart-pounding tailspin sequence (if you've ever been scared of flying before Flight will push into phobia territory). In the few scenes after the literal destruction Washington is able to convey an equal amount of power in the moments of mental destruction. Whitaker is obviously crushed by the events the bottle silently calling for him in every down moment. Flight strives for that level of introspection throughout eventually pairing Washington with equally distraught junkie Nicole (Kelly Reilly). Their relationship is barely fleshed out with the script time and time again resorting to obvious over-the-top depictions of substance abuse (a la Nic Cage's Leaving Las Vegas) and the bickering that follows. Washington's Whitaker hits is lowest point early sitting there until the climax of the film.
Sharing screentime with the intimate tale is the surprisingly comical attempt by the pilot's airline union buddy (Bruce Greenwood) and the company lawyer (Don Cheadle) to get Whitaker into shape. Prepping him for inquisitions looking into evidence from the wreckage and calling upon Whitaker's dealer Harling (John Goodman) to jump start their "hero" when the time is right the two men do everything they can to keep any blame being placed upon Whitaker by the National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The thread doesn't feel relevant to Whitaker's plight and in turn feels like unnecessary baggage that pads the runtime.
Everything in Fight shoots for the skies — and on purpose. The music is constantly swelling the photography glossy and unnatural and rarely do we breach Washington's wild exterior for a sense of what Whitaker's really grappling with. For Zemeckis Flight is still a spectacle film with Washington's ability to emote as the magical special effect. Instead of using it sparingly he once again goes big. Too big.
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HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm scored three out of five Directors Guild of America award nominations today for comedy, while The Sopranos and The West Wing each got two nods among dramatic series.
Additional nominations in the comedy category went to NBC's Will &amp; Grace (four-time DGA winner James Burrows got his 19th career DGA nod); and Sex and the City.
In addition to NBC's The West Wing and The Sopranos, HBO's Six Feet Under got a nod in the dramatic series category.
The 55th annual Directors Guild of America Awards dinner, which will honor winners in TV and film categories, will be held March 1 at the Century Plaza Hotel &amp; Spa.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Dramatic Series
Daniel Attias, "Back to the Garden" episode of HBO's Six Feet Under
Paris Barclay, "Debate Camp'' episode of NBC's The West Wing
Alex Graves, "Posse Comitatus'' epidode of NBC's The West Wing
John Patterson, "Whitecaps'' episode of HBO's The Sopranos
Tim Van Patten, "Whoever Did This'' episode of HBO's The Sopranos
Comedy Series
James Burrows, "Marry Me a Little'' episode of NBC's Will &amp; Grace
Larry Charles, "The Nanny From Hell'' episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm
Bryan Gordon, "Special Section'' episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm
Michael Patrick King, "Plus One Is the Loneliest Number'' episode of HBO's Sex and the City
David Steinberg, "Mary, Joseph &amp; Larry'' episode of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm
Musical Variety
Marty Callner, Robin Williams Live on Broadway, HBO
Matthew Diamond, From Broadway: Fosse/Great Performances: Dance in America, PBS
Jerry Foley, Late Show with David Letterman #1876, CBS
Louis J. Horvitz, The 74th Annual Academy Awards, ABC
Glenn Weiss, The 56th Annual Tony Awards, CBS

An avalanche of ticket sales for The Rock gave Scorpion King a record setting number one opening of $36.2 million.
Changing Lanes slowed down to place second with $11.1 million. Murder by Numbers opened third with only a small box office killing of $9.5 million.
The Rookie showed strong legs and placed fourth with $6.3 million. Panic Room locked up the fifth spot with $6.2 million.
Driven by Scorpion, key films--those grossing $500,000 or more--totaled $99.1 million, up over 27 percent from last year's $77.8 million. Business was up over 9 percent from the previous weekend's $90.7 million.
THE TOP TEN
Universal's PG-13 rated adventure spinoff The Scorpion King in association with World Wrestling Federation Entertainment and Alphaville kicked off with blockbuster strength to a chart topping ESTIMATED $36.2 million at 3,444 theatres ($10,515 per theater).
Scorpion's average per theater was the highest for any film playing this weekend.
Insiders said Scorpion is well on its way to $100 million in domestic theaters. How far it goes beyond that will depend on how well it holds after Columbia launches its highly anticipated event film Spider-Man May 3.
Scorpion goes into the record books as the biggest opening ever in the month of April. Actually, Universal broke its own record, having set it with $20.4 million for Life the weekend of Apr. 16-18, 1999.
"Everyone at Universal is very excited over the fact that we took one immensely popular franchise and spun off a completely new and obviously equally popular franchise," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning.
"We're happy we were able to launch a summer type movie in mid-April. That's setting precedent again. And certainly, having the April opening record is something to toot your horn about."
Rocco emphasized that, "None of this would have been possible without the tireless efforts of the amazing star of this movie, The Rock, who we're very proud to be in business with. He literally did everything we asked him to do (to launch the movie) and kept coming back for more. He's incredible. He's got talent. He's got charisma.
"And I have to credit our filmmaking partners at Alphaville, (producers) Sean Daniel and Jim Jacks with producers Kevin Misher and Stephen Sommers, for getting this film ready, bringing it to us in time to release it in April and doing it at a relatively inexpensive cost. Because it's not a special effects film like The Mummy, it didn't cost as much. It was $60 million--not (cheap) by today's standards, but still and all it's something to be very proud of."
Asked who was on hand opening weekend, Rocco replied, "It was just what we thought it would be. It was young males, who loved it. They came for The Rock. The audience was (about) 56 percent under 25, which was what was expected for this. And having launched it at this tremendous number, it bodes very well for next weekend where there's really nothing (in terms of huge competition to cut into Scorpion). We have two weeks to ourselves--this week and next week. That's a good thing."
Paramount's R rated road rage drama Changing Lanes drove one notch down the chart to second place in its second week, still on the track with an ESTIMATED $11.1 million (-35%) at 2,642 theaters (+29 theaters; $4,201 per theater). Its cume is approximately $32.8 million.
Directed by Roger Michell, it stars Ben Affleck and Samuel L Jackson.
Castle Rock Entertainment's Murder by Numbers opened calmly in third place via Warner Bros. to an ESTIMATED $9.51 million at 2,663 theaters ($3,569 per theater).
Directed by Barbet Schroeder, it stars Sandra Bullock.
"About 71 percent of the audience was over the age of 25, of which 60 percent were female," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning.
"So it was predominantly female. It's a different kind of film for Sandra Bullock and a film she wanted to make. It wasn't that far from the studio projections. We'll hang in there and see how we hold up. Next week's not very strong (in terms of new competition)."
Buena Vista/Disney's G rated family appeal baseball drama The Rookie rose one rung to fourth place in its fourth week, still rounding the bases with great energy with an ESTIMATED $6.3 million (-21%) at 2,507 theaters (-13 theaters; $2,528 per theater). Its cume is approximately $53.7 million.
Directed by John Lee Hancock, it stars Dennis Quaid.
Columbia's R rated thriller Panic Room escaped three blocks south to fifth place in its fourth week with a still scary ESTIMATED $6.2 million (-42%) at 2,825 theaters (-294 theaters; $2,195 per theater). Its cume is approximately $82.2 million, heading for the area of $100 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by David Fincher, it stars Jodie Foster.
"We have opened every (new international) market in the number one position. This weekend we had a very big opening in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy--all in the number one position," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing &amp; distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning.
Panic's international numbers, Blake said, are "very comparable to a picture we handled last spring, Erin Brockovich, which was our international title. It's doing that level of business (and is) certainly pointed towards $100 million-plus and we're going to be real close domestic. But, certainly, international is off to that level of start. Obviously, with more major territories to come, we'll know more within a month. Every one has been a terrific launch and a number one opening."
Looking ahead, Blake noted, "Next week is France. The U.K. opens on May 3. And Japan opens May 18."
20th Century Fox's PG rated animated feature Ice Age eroded two pegs to sixth place in its sixth week, still holding nicely with an ESTIMATED $5.74 million (-33%) at 2,817 theaters (-194 theaters; $2,038 per theater). Its cume is approximately $159.5 million, heading for $175 million or more in domestic theaters.
Directed by Chris Wedge, it features the voices of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary.
Columbia's R rated romantic comedy The Sweetest Thing dropped four notches in its second week to seventh place with a bittersweet ESTIMATED $5.2 million (-45%) at 2,670 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,948 per theater). Its cume is approximately $17.0 million.
Directed by Roger Kumble, it stars Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair.
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises' PG-13 rated thriller High Crimes fell two rungs to eighth place in its third week with a dull ESTIMATED $3.77 million (-50%) at 2,408 theaters (-339 theaters; $1,564 per theater). Its cume is approximately $30.8 million, heading for $35-40 million.
Directed by Carl Franklin, it stars Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman.
Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' PG rated time travel adventure Clockstoppers slid two slots to ninth place in its fourth week, with a slower ESTIMATED $2.86 million (-39%) at 2,188 theaters (-324 theaters; $1,307 per theater). Its cume is approximately $31.9 million, heading for the area of $40 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Jonathan Frakes, it stars Jesse Bradford, Paula Garces, French Stewart, Michael Biehn and Robin Thomas.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Artisan Entertainment's R rated youth comedy National Lampoon's Van Wilder, which was tenth last week, in its third week with a less wild ESTIMATED $2.25 million (-45%) at 1,806 theaters (-298 theaters; $1,246 per theater). Its cume is approximately $17.3 million, heading for $20 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Walt Becker, it stars Ryan Reynolds and Tara Reid.
"We're thinking it will probably top off at $20 million because I don't think there's going to be more than a couple weeks of business left," Artisan domestic theatrical distribution president Steve Rothenberg said Sunday morning.
"For us, it's a good win. We made the film for between $5-6 million, so to gross $20 million and with all the ancillary (business because) these titles are usually very good in video, we should be fine."
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of IFC Films' PG rated romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding with a slim ESTIMATED $0.53 million at 108 theaters ($4,895 per theater).
Directed by Joel Zwick, it stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett.
Manhattan Pictures' R rated thriller Enigma opened to an unexciting ESTIMATED $0.15 million at 25 theaters ($5,985 per theater).
Directed by Michael Apted, it stars Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam and Saffron Burrows.
Paramount Classics' PG-13 rated romantic comedy Triumph of Love arrived to an non-triumphant ESTIMATED $61,000 at 18 theaters ($3,378 per theater).
Directed by Clare Peploe, it stars Mira Sorvino, Fiona Shaw, Jay Rodan, Rachael Stirling and Ben Kingsley.
Sony Pictures Classics' R rated drama Nine Queens kicked off to a hopeful ESTIMATED $39,000 at 5 theaters ($7,713 per theater).
Directed by Fabian Bielinsky, it stars Ricardo Darin and Gaston Pauls.
Lions Gate Films' R rated drama Chelsea Walls opened to a soft ESTIMATED $10,000 at 3 theaters ($3,219 per theater).
Directed by Ethan Hawke, it stars Rosario Dawson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kris Kristofferson, Robert Sean Leonard, Natasha Richardson, Uma Thurman, Mark Webber and Steve Zahn.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front this weekend IFC Films' unrated erotic drama Y Tu Mama Tambien went wider in its sixth week with an okay ESTIMATED $1.03 million (+1%) at 243 theaters (+50 theaters; $4,245 per theater). Its cume is approximately $5.9 million.
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron, it stars Maribel Verdu, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna.
USA Films' R rated romantic comedy Monsoon Wedding added theaters in its ninth week with a still enticing ESTIMATED $0.71 million (+14%) at 189 theaters (+27 theaters; $3,740 per theater). Its cume is approximately $7.1 million.
Directed by Mira Nair, it was produced by Nair and Caroline Baron.
INTERNATIONAL
Universal's international division reported Sunday morning that The Scorpion King kicked off its international run with an outstanding number one opening in Australia. The film's $0.28 million opening day gross is the second biggest opening day of the year Down Under. In its first three days, Scorpion grossed $1.0 million on 191 playdates.
In the U.K. Scorpion arrived to an excellent $1.7 million on 402 playdates in its first 2 days, including Thursday night previews, and is running neck and neck with Bend it Like Beckham for first place.
In Malaysia, Scorpion grossed $0.33 million on 41 playdates, ranking as Universal's second biggest opening ever, UIP's all-time third biggest opening and the industry's fourth biggest opening in history.
In Singapore, Scorpion grossed $0.36 million on 26 playdates, making it Universal's fourth biggest opening, UIP's sixth biggest opening and the industry's tenth biggest.
In the Philippines, Scorpion also did excellent opening weekend business, grossing $0.23 million on 76 playdates, matching the ticket sales for past blockbusters like Jurassic Park III and Tomb Raider.
In Hong Kong, Scorpion grossed an excellent $0.36 million on 38 playdates, equaling the openings for The Mummy and Tomb Raider.
A Beautiful Mind continued to hold very well in the Top 5 in several countries. In Argentina, Mind tied for first place in its ninth week with $35,000 (-17%) on 51 playdates.
In Brazil, it ranked fifth in its tenth week with $0.11 million (-27%) on 155 playdates.
Mind was fifth in its eighth week in Germany with $0.46 million (-21%) on 389 playdates.
In Mexico, it placed fifth in its eighth week with $0.14 million (-24%) on 153 playdates.
Ali G Is in Da House, Universal's latest film from Working Title, was ninth in its fifth week, grossing $0.32 million (-38%) on 282 playdates. In 29 days, Ali G has grossed $13.6 million.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films--those grossing more than $500,000--took in approximately $99.1 million, up about 27.42 percent from last year when they totaled $77.78 million.
Key films this weekend were up about 9.27 percent from the previous weekend of this year's total of $90.7 million.
Last year, Miramax and Universal's second week of Bridget Jones's Diary was first with $10.2 million at 2,221 theaters ($4,585 per theater); and Dimension Films' fourth week of Spy Kids was second with $10.1 million at 3,191 theaters ($3,156 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $20.3 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $47.3 million.

The Producers Guild of America will give out awards tonight, with the teams behind A Beautiful Mind, Moulin Rouge and Shrek among those in contention for its top honor. The producers of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring are also in the running for the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award.
The honor is similar to the motion picture academy's best picture prize, and the winner is considered a near shoo-in for Oscar gold. The 1,500-member Producers Guild has correctly predicted the best picture Oscar winner 10 out
of the last 13 years.
A Beautiful Mind, Lord of the Rings and Moulin Rouge are
nominated for both the PGA award and best picture Oscar. But the guild opted for box office hits Shrek and Harry Potter for its other two slots,
while the Academy chose the indie critic faves In the Bedroom and Gosford Park.
The Producers Guild will also hand out awards in three television categories, with such shows as The West Wing and The Sopranos among those in the running.
The teams behind CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law &amp; Order, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos and The West Wing are nominated for the Norman Felton Producer of the Year Award in episodic television-drama.
Contenders for the Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award in episodic television-comedy are Frasier, Friends, Malcolm in the Middle, Sex and the City and Will &amp; Grace.
The nominated producers of Frasier include the late David Angell, who was aboard one of the hijacked planes that crashed on Sept. 11.
Among the David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in longform television nominees are some well-known names--Billy Crystal for HBO's 61*, and Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg for HBO's Band of Brothers.
Husband-and-wife actors Bradley Whitford of The West Wing and Jane Kaczmarek of Malcolm in the Middle will host the guild's 13th annual ceremony at the Century Plaza Hotel &amp; Spa.
Formed in 1950, the Producers Guild has about 500 active members and 1,000 affiliated members.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Darryl F. Zanuck Theatrical Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award in Motion Pictures
A Beautiful Mind, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, David Heyman
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh
Moulin Rouge, Martin Brown, Baz Luhrmann and Fred Baron
Shrek, Aron Warner, John H. William and Jeffrey Katzenberg
Norman Felton Producer of the Year in Episodic Television-Drama
CSI Crime Scene Investigation, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ann M. Donahue, Carol Mendelsohn, Anthony Zuiker, Jonathan Littman, Sam Strangis, Danny
Cannon, Cynthia Chvatal and William Petersen
Law &amp; Order, Dick Wolf, Barry Schindel, Jeffrey L. Hayes, Lewis H. Gould and Kati Johnston
Six Feet Under, Alan Ball, Robert Greenblatt, David Janollari and Alan Poul
The Sopranos, David Chase, Brad Grey, Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green, Ilene S. Landress and Terence Winter
The West Wing, John Wells, Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, Llewellyn Wells, Christopher Misiano, Alex Graves and Michael Hissrich
Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television-Comedy
Frasier, David Angell, Peter Casey, Kelsey Grammer, David Lee, Dan O'Shannon, Mark Reisman and Maggie Blanc
Friends, Kevin S Bright, Marta Kauffman, David Crane, Shana Goldberg-Meehan, Scott Silveri, Andrew Reich, Ted Cohen and Todd Stevens
Malcolm in the Middle, Linwood Boomer and James S. Simons
Sex and the City, Michael Patrick King, Cindy Chupack, John P. Melfi and Sarah Jessica Parker
Will &amp; Grace, James Burrows, Jeff Greenstein, Max Mutchnick, David Kohan and Tim Kaiser
David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Longform Television
61*, Billy Crystal and Ross Greenburg
Anne Frank, Hans Proppe and David R. Kappes
Band of Brothers, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Tony To
Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Robert Allan Ackerman and Lorna Luft
Wit, Cary Brokaw

"Gladiator" continued to rule the box office this weekend, collecting another $24 million in tribute from moviegoers.
The R-rated action adventure from DreamWorks easily held on to first place in its second week with a hefty ESTIMATED $24.3 million (-30%) at 2,943 theaters (+40 theaters; $8,257 per theater). Its cume is approximately $73.3 million, heading for about $150 million in domestic theaters.
"Gladiator's" per theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"Obviously, it's a strong hold," DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp said Sunday morning. "The positive word-of-mouth continues to be very strong."
Although DreamWorks is distributing "Gladiator" domestically, Universal is releasing it internationally. The two studios are 50-50 partners, sharing equally in its success. The film reportedly cost $103 million to make.
Directed by Ridley Scott, "Gladiator" stars Russell Crowe.
Warner Bros. and Franchise Pictures' PG-13 rated sci-fi action adventure "Battlefield Earth" opened in second place to a solid ESTIMATED $12.32 million at 3,307 theaters ($3,725 per theater).
"I'm happy to be number two," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning. "The reviews were not good. It shows how strong John Travolta is as a star. To come in number two in a very competitive marketplace is a nice place to be. Franchise is very pleased that it opened up (well). They're going to support the movie."
Directed by Roger Christian, it stars John Travolta, Barry Pepper and Forest Whitaker.
"U-571," Universal's PG-13 World War II submarine drama, dropped anchor in third place, down one rung in its fourth week, but holding well with an ESTIMATED $5.78 million (-26%) at 2,820 theaters (+119 theaters; $2,050 per theater). Its cume is approximately $57.9 million, heading for about $75 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow, "U-571" stars Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel and Jon Bon Jovi.
"We're very happy," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "I think 'U-571' has found its niche in the marketplace (and) it will continue to play. It didn't get hurt tremendously (this week), as much as it did last week from the opening of 'Gladiator.' Obviously, there's room in the marketplace for these kinds of films."
New Line's "Frequency," which was fourth last week, tied for fourth place in its third week, showing strong legs with an ESTIMATED $4.8 million (-26%) at 2,470 theaters (-161 theaters; $1,943 per theater). Its cume is approximately $24.6 million, heading for about $35 million in domestic theatres.
Directed by Gregory Hoblit, it stars Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel.
"It's what we've said from the beginning - everyone who sees it, likes it," New Line executive vice president, distribution David Tuckerman said Sunday morning. "Everybody's talking about it."
Columbia's opening of its PG-13-rated youth appeal dance film "Center Stage" tied for fourth place with a calm ESTIMATED $4.8 million at 1,506 theaters ($3,187 per theater).
"There was a nice turnout of teenage girls as the main audience," Sony Pictures Releasing president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "And there were very good exit polls on that segment (of the audience). It was 80% in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good) and a 74% definite recommend. Those are numbers that certainly encourage us that we can go forward with this group. Actually, the reaction of the males that attended really was pretty good, also, but not many males attended."
Blake also pointed out, "It's a $19 million picture and should turn out fine (in terms of Sony not getting hurt on it)."
Directed by Nicholas Hytner, it stars Amanda Schull, Zoe Saldana, Susan May Pratt, Peter Gallagher, Donna Murphy and Ethan Stiefel.
Universal's "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas," the PG rated prequel to the 1996 "Flintstones" blockbuster, which was third last week, tied for fourth place in its third week with a still-lively ESTIMATED $4.8 million (-28%) at 3,128 theaters (+77 theaters; $1,535 per theater). Its cume is approximately $24.6 million, heading for about $35 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Brian Levant, director of the original "Flintstones," the prequel stars Mark Addy and Stephen Baldwin.
"'Flintstones' is still the only family film (in the marketplace now)," Universal's Rocco said. "So we are pleased with its holding power this weekend. Hopefully, there will be room for it in the (coming) marketplace. Next weekend when 'Dinosaur' opens, it will just stimulate the family business."
20th Century Fox's PG-13-rated drama "Where the Heart Is" dropped two pegs to seventh place in its third week with a slower beating ESTIMATED $3.6 million (-30%) at 2,410 theaters (-29 theaters; $1,494 per theater). Its cume is approximately $21.1 million.
"Heart," which cost about $15 million to make, was picked up by Fox for domestic and English speaking territories for only $9 million.
Directed and produced by Matt Williams, it stars Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing and Joan Cusack.
Universal's PG-13-rated comedy "Screwed" opened quietly in eighth place to an ESTIMATED $3.4 million at 1,759 theaters ($1,935 per theater), not nearly as well as its 12% first-choice tracking had suggested would be the case.
Written and directed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, it stars Norm MacDonald, David Chappelle and Danny DeVito.
New Line's PG-13-rated urban appeal drama "Love &amp; Basketball" moved down court three positions in its fourth week to ninth place with a calm ESTIMATED $2.0 million (-39%) at 1,047 theaters (-145 theaters; $1,910 per theater). Its cume is approximately $22.3 million, heading for about $30 million.
Written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, it stars Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Buena Vista/Touchstone's PG-13-rated romantic comedy "Keeping the Faith," down three notches in its fifth week with a slower ESTIMATED $1.9 million (-32%) at 1,569 theaters (-445 theaters; $1,179 per theatre). Its cume is approximately $32.3 million.
Directed by Edward Norton, it stars Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman and Edward Norton.
Last weekend also saw the arrival of Trimark Pictures' PG-13-rated urban appeal action romance "Held Up." Exhibitor Relations reported an estimate of $1.9 million, which would tie it for 10th place. Other distributors' estimates, however, had 'Held Up' coming in as low as $1.61 million, placing it 12th at 688 theaters ($2,340 per theater).
Directed by Steve Rash, it stars Jamie Foxx and Nia Long.
OTHER OPENINGS
Miramax Films opened its R-rated contemporary version of "Hamlet," placing 26th with an encouraging ESTIMATED $0.061 million at 4 theaters in New York and Los Angeles ($15,250 per theater).
Directed by Michael Almereyda, it stars Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Shepard, Diane Venora, Bill Murray, Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles.
"We'll go to the top 10 markets this Friday on about 15 screens," Miramax senior vice president, marketing David Kaminow said Sunday morning.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
DreamWorks held sneak previews Friday night of its R-rated youth comedy "Road Trip" at 800 theaters.
"They were very good," DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp said Sunday morning. "The reaction was very positive and over 90% in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good). It ran 60-70% capacity."
"Trip" opens Friday (5/19) at about 2,400 theaters.
Directed by Todd Phillips, it stars Breckin Meyer and Seann William Scott.
EXPANSIO S
On the expansion front, Paramount Classics' R-rated drama about teen suicide, "The Virgin Suicides" expanded in its fourth week, placing 19th with a weak ESTIMATED $0.62 million at 270 theaters (+170 theaters; $2,285 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.7 million.
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, it stars James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett.
Miramax's R-rated comedy "East Is East" added a few theaters in its fifth week, placing 23rd with a quiet ESTIMATED $0.21 million at 63 theaters (+2 theaters; $3,330 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.3 million.
Produced by Leslee Udwin and directed by Damien O'Donnell, "East" stars Om Puri and Linda Bassett.
Sony's Screen Gems label expanded its R-rated digitally shot comedy "Time Code" in its third week, placing 24th with an unexciting ESTIMATED $0.14 million at 42 theaters (+35 theaters; $3,214 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.4 million.
Directed by Mike Figgis, it stars Saffron Burrows and Salma Hayek.
Lions Gate Films' R-rated dark comedy "The Big Kahuna" went wider in its third week, placing 25th with an okay ESTIMATED $0.11 million at 16 theaters (+8 theaters; $6,737 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.3 million.
Directed by John Swanbeck, "Kahuna" stars Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli.
Miramax's R-rated comedy "Human Traffic" widened in its second week, placing 27th with a stop-and-go ESTIMATED $0.034 at 26 theaters (+21 theaters; $1,325 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.05 million.
Written and directed by Justin Kerrigan, it stars John Simm, Lorraine Pilkington, Shaun Parkes, Danny Dyer, Nicola Reynolds and Dean Davies.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $79.40 million, up about 25.37% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $63.33 million.
This weekend's key film gross was down about 3.43% from this year's previous weekend, when key films grossed $82.22 million.
Last year, Universal's second week of "The Mummy" was first with $24.86 million at 3,226 theaters ($7,705 per theater); and 20th Century Fox's third week of "Entrapment" was second with $9.08 million at 2,879 theaters ($3,153 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $34.0 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $36.6 million.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES
Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were:
DreamWorks was first with two films ("Gladiator" and "The Road to El Dorado"), grossing an ESTIMATED $24.96 million or 31.4% of the market.
Universal was second with three films ("U-571," "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas" and "Erin Brockovich"), grossing an ESTIMATED $13.99 million or 17.6% of the market.
Warner Bros. was third with one film ("Battlefield Earth"), grossing an ESTIMATED $12.32 million or 15.5% of the market.
New Line was fourth with three films ("Frequency," "Love &amp; Basketball" and "Final Destination"), grossing an ESTIMATED $7.98 million or 10.0% of the market.
Sony Pictures Releasing (Columbia, TriStar, Screen Gems) was fifth with three films ("Center Stage," "I Dreamed Of Africa" and "28 Days"), grossing an ESTIMATED $7.70 million or 9.7% of the market.
20th Century Fox was sixth with one film ("Where the Heart Is"), grossing an ESTIMATED $3.6 million or 4.5% of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES
(11)Erin Brockovich/Universal: Theaters: 1,486 (-456) Gross: $1.64 million (-25%) Average per theater: $1,105 Cume: $118.4 million
(12)HELD UP/Trimark: (see above)
(13)28 Days/Columbia: Theaters: 1,755 (-658) Gross: $1.5 million (-36%) Average per theater: $855 Cume: $34.4 million
(14)Rules of Engagement/Paramount: Theaters: 1,618 (-643) Gross: $1.46 million (-40%) Average per theater: $900 Cume: $56.4 million
(15)I Dreamed Of Africa/Columbia: Theaters: 2,112 (0) Gross: $1.4 million (-42%) Average per theater: $663 Cume: $4.8 million
(16)Final Destination/New Line: Theaters: 944 (-159) Gross: $1.18 million (-28%) Average per theater: $1,245 Cume: $49.8 million
(17)Return to Me/MGM: Theaters: 1,203 (-500) Gross: $1.06 million (-30%) Average per theater: $880 Cume: $28.9 million
(18)The Road to El Dorado/DreamWorks: Theaters: 1,027 (-501) Gross: $0.66 million (-28%) Average per theater: $640 Cume: $48.7 million
(19)The Virgin Suicides/Paramount Classics: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(20)High Fidelity/BV: Theaters: 361 (-191) Gross: $0.57 million (-23%) Average per theater: $1,590 Cume: $24.2 million
(21)The Skulls/Universal: Theaters: 573 (-296) Gross: $0.45 million (-34%) Average per theater: $785 Cume: $34.2 million
(22)Up At The Villa/USA Films: Theaters: 87 (-2) Gross: $0.29 million (-16%) Average per theater: $3,275 Cume: $0.8 million
(23)East Is East/Miramax: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(24)Time Code/Sony/Screen Gems: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(25)The Big Kahuna/Lions Gate: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(26)HAMLET/Miramax: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(27)Human Traffic/Miramax: (see EXPANSIONS above)

Universal's unsinkable "U-571" continued full speed ahead in first place this weekend just as studio tracking data indicated it would.
The PG-13 World War II submarine drama, which had a 19% first-choice tracking going into the weekend, held on to the top spot with a brisk ESTIMATED $12.33 million (-37%) at 2,615 theaters (+32 theaters; $4,715 per theater). Its cume is approximately $38.2 million, heading for $60 million-plus in domestic theaters.
"U-571's" per theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow, "U-571" stars Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel and Jon Bon Jovi.
"Once again, Universal keeps the marketplace afloat," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "With nearly 40% of the market share in a lackluster environment, Universal managed to have three films in the Top Ten."
Rocco sees "U-571" sailing "past $60 million, but a lot depends on what happens next week. There's a very big film that's tracking tremendously well for males called 'Gladiator,' which is 50% owned by Universal (and 50% owned by DreamWorks). 'U-571' could be affected by it. There's no doubt about it. It depends on how much the marketplace can expand. If you take a look at the business, there's not much going on out there. So we're hoping that 'Gladiator' does expand the marketplace enough for 'U-571' to hang in there and for 'Gladiator' to do a ton of business."
Although DreamWorks is distributing "Gladiator" domestically and Universal has it internationally, Rocco pointed out, "We're 50-50 partners. We share equally in the film."
The R rated action adventure "Gladiator," a period piece set during the time of the Roman Empire, is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Russell Crowe.
Universal also owned second place, opening its "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas" to a rock solid ESTIMATED $10.81 million at 3,037 theaters ($3,560 per theater).
"Vegas" is the PG rated prequel to the 1996 "Flintstones" blockbuster that grossed over $350 million worldwide.
Directed by Brian Levant, director of the original "Flintstones," the prequel stars Mark Addy and Stephen Baldwin.
"It's great. There's no (other) family film in the marketplace. Its tracking indicated it would open around $10 million, which is what I expected," Universal's Rocco said.
"We also have a lot of promotional tie-ins this week -- particularly with Burger King -- which should keep it in the marketplace. There's nothing else doing business with the family audience. Obviously, the kids like it, particularly young females."
New Line's opening of its PG-13 rated time travel thriller "Frequency" was a high-powered third with an ESTIMATED $9.125 million at 2,621 theaters ($3,481 per theater).
Directed by Gregory Hoblit, it stars Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel.
"We're just tickled," New Line distribution head David Tuckerman said Sunday morning. "It was tracking (to open) at $7 million. We had a big rush at the end, which is a New Line specialty. We think this picture's going to be in the marketplace for a long time."
Who is the film's core audience? "You know something," Tuckerman replied, "it's all over (the place). That was one of the problems we had with (marketing) the movie. All sections are, like, tracking equally -- the under-25, the over 25, and both male and female."
20th Century Fox's opening of its PG-13 rated drama "Where the Heart Is" finished fourth with a heartening ESTIMATED $8.3 million at 2,437 theaters ($3,405 per theater).
The $15 million "Heart" is likely to be profitable for Fox, which reportedly picked it up for domestic and English speaking territories for just $9 million.
Directed and produced by Matt Williams, it stars Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing and Joan Cusack.
"The picture played extremely well, especially to women," Tom Sherak, 20th Domestic Film Group chairman and senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said Sunday morning.
"70% of the audience was women. It played in the 80%'s definite recommend and in the 90%'s excellent and very good. So, hopefully, it will have a nice long run. The definite recommend for younger women (under 25) was 82% and for older women was 78%."
Noting "Heart's" low acquisition cost to Fox, Sherak said, "We should do really well on it."
New Line also scored a fifth place victor with "Love &amp; Basketball," down three hoops in its second week with a still lovely ESTIMATED $5.55 million (-32%) at 1,245 theaters (+8 theaters; $4,458 per theater). Its cume is approximately $15.9 million.
The PG-13 rated drama, which reportedly cost under $10 million to make, is targeted to under-25 African-Americans.
Written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, it stars Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan.
"I think it's going to do between $35 and $40 million," New Line distribution head David Tuckerman said Sunday morning. "I think it's profitable now."
Paramount's R rated military trial drama "Rules of Engagement" fell three pegs in its fourth week to sixth place with a quiet ESTIMATED $4.75 million (-41%) at 3,027 theaters (-193 theaters; $1,569 per theater). Its cume is approximately $50.2 million heading for $60-65 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by William Friedkin, it stars Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson.
Buena Vista/Touchstone's PG-13 rated romantic comedy "Keeping the Faith" continued to show good legs in its third week, down two rungs to seventh place with an okay ESTIMATED $4.6 million (-35%) at 2,171 theaters (+13 theaters; $2,150 per theatre). Its cume is approximately $25.7 million.
Directed by Edward Norton, it stars Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman and Edward Norton.
Columbia's PG-13 rated dramatic comedy "28 Days" slid four notches to eighth place in its third week with a restrained ESTIMATED $4.0 million (-45%) at 2,523 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,585 per theater). Its cume is approximately $28.6 million, heading for $40 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Betty Thomas, "Days" stars Sandra Bullock and Viggo Mortensen.
Universal's "Erin Brockovich" fell three notches to ninth place in its seventh weekend with a less sexy ESTIMATED $3.77 million (-31%) at 2,504 theaters (-652 theaters; $1,505 per theater). Its cume is approximately $113.0 million, heading for $125-130 million in domestic theaters.
The R rated dramatic comedy was co-financed by Universal, which is distributing it domestically, and by Columbia, which is releasing it internationally. The two studios are 50-50 partners in the picture.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, it stars Julia Roberts, Albert Finney and Aaron Eckart.
Rounding out the Top Ten was New Line's R rated suspense thriller "Final Destination," down one rung and holding solidly in its seventh weekend with a strong ESTIMATED $2.53 million (-10%) at 1,153 theaters (-162 theaters; $2,190 per theater). Its cume is approximately $46.1 million heading for $50 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by James Wong, it stars Devon Sawa.
MGM's PG rated romantic comedy "Return to Me" was nearly tied with "Final," placing 11th, down three slots in its fourth week with an okay ESTIMATED $2.5 million (-37%) at 2,006 theaters (-314 theaters; $1,246 per theater). Its cume is approximately $25.2 million.
Directed by Bonnie Hunt, "Return" cost only about $24 million to make. It stars David Duchovny and Minnie Driver.
OTHER OPENINGS
Last weekend also saw the arrival, via Sony's Screen Gems label, of its R rated digitally shot comedy "Time Code," placing 23rd with an enc uraging ESTIMATED $0.095 million at 7 theaters ($13,571 per theater).
Directed by Mike Figgis, it stars Saffron Burrows and Salma Hayek.
"We're really excited about it," Sony Pictures releasing president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "We really feel like we're on the front end of a real filmmaking revolution here. I think that's always what made the project fun. We got very nice reviews and, I think, great results. The Nuart (in West L.A.) looks like it's going to do over $25,000. Both New York runs look like about $17,000 each. I think there's real interest here. The fact that it's the beginning of something that a lot of people feel is coming - shooting completely in digital from beginning to end -- really makes it kind of exciting.
"This really is the kind of picture we formed Screen Gems to get involved with. I think Valerie Van Galder and her marketing team really did a terrific job on this."
Looking ahead, Blake said, "We're going to add 16 more major markets next Friday and then expand on May 12 in the markets we opened this week."
Lions Gate Films' R rated dark comedy "The Big Kahuna" arrived in New York and Los Angeles, placing 24th with an okay ESTIMATED $0.088 million at 8 theaters ($11,000 per theater).
Directed by John Swanbeck, "Kahuna" stars Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli.
"On May 12 we go into seven additional markets exclusive, and on May 19 it's going to go out to approximately 400 runs," Lions Gate co-president Tom Ortenberg said Sunday morning.
Looking at "Kahuna's" first weekend, Ortenberg said, "I think it's solid. It's an art film. It's going to play like an art film. Our best run in Los Angeles was actually Pasadena, which I think shows the more mature suburban nature of the picture. So I'm not so concerned about opening up to huge numbers out of the gate. On 'The Red Violin,' we had areas where, for example, Palo Alto/Menlo Park was bigger than the city of San Francisco. Deerfield, Illinois, was bigger than the city of Chicago. Boulder was bigger than Denver.
"We weren't looking for huge numbers out of the core runs. We were looking to get the picture on its feet and established in the marketplace and kind of set the groundwork for further expansion. I think that's pretty much what we've done."
Miramax's R rated dark comedy "Committed" opened in New York and L.A., placing 26th with an uncommitted ESTIMATED $0.012 million at 6 theaters (3 in New York and 3 in Los Angeles; $2,000 per theater).
Written and directed by Lisa Krueger, it stars Heather Graham and Casey Affleck.
"It will go to the Top Ten (markets) next week," Miramax senior vice president, marketing David Kaminow said Sunday morning.
USA Films' R rated dark comedy "The Idiots" opened in New York, placing 27th with a calm ESTIMATED $0.007 million at 2 theaters ($3,642 per theater).
Directed by Lars von Trier, it stars Brodil Jorgensen.
Sony Pictures Classics kicked off its R rated romantic comedy "Bossa Nova" at two theaters in New York. No estimates were available Sunday morning since SPC does not track its openings.
Directed by Bruno Barreto, it stars Amy Irving and Antonio Fagundes.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, Miramax's R rated comedy "East Is East" went wider in its third week, placing 21st with an encouraging ESTIMATED $0.27 million at 39 theaters (+21 theaters; $6,100 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.6 million.
Produced by Leslee Udwin and directed by Damien O'Donnell, "East" stars Om Puri and Linda Bassett.
Paramount Classics' R rated drama about teen suicide, "The Virgin Suicides," expanded in its second week, placing 22nd with a less sexy ESTIMATED $0.17 million (-29%) at 29 theaters (+11 theaters; $5,765 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.5 million.
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, it stars James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett.
USA Films went wider with its R rated drama "Joe Gould's Secret," placing 25th in its fourth week with a dull ESTIMATED $0.064 million at 32 theaters (+3 theaters; $2,013 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.3 million.
Directed by Stanley Tucci, it stars Ian Holm and Stanley Tucci.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $76.97 million, up about 42.47% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $54.02 million.
This weekend's key film gross was down about 9.80% from this year's previous weekend, when key films grossed $85.33 million.
Last year, 20th Century Fox's opening week of "Entrapment" was first with $20.15 million at 2,815 theaters ($7,157 per theater); and Warner Bros.' fifth week of "The Matrix" was second with $8.72 million at 2,903 theaters ($3,002 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $28.8 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $23.1 million.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES
Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were:
Universal was first with four films ("U-571," "The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas," "Erin Brockovich" and "The Skulls"), grossing an ESTIMATED $28.22 million or 36.6% of the market.
New Line was second with three films ("Frequency," "Love &amp; Basketball" and "Final Destination"), grossing an ESTIMATED $17.2 million or 22.3% of the market.
20th Century Fox was third with one film ("Where the Heart Is"), grossing an ESTIMATED $8.3 million or 10.8% of the market.
Buena Vista (Disney, Touchstone)was fourth with three films ("Keeping the Faith," "High Fidelity" and "Fantasia 2000"), grossing an ESTIMATED $7.9 million or 10.3% of the market.
Paramount was fifth with one film ("Rules of Engagement"), grossing an ESTIMATED $4.75 million or 6.2% of the market.
Sony Pictures Releasing (Columbia, TriStar, Screen Gems) was sixth with one film ("28 Days"), grossing an ESTIMATED $4.0 million or 5.2% of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES
(12)The Road to El Dorado/DreamWorks: Theaters: 2,247 (-923) Gross: $2.2 million (-58%) Average per theater: $979 Cume: $46.6 million
(13)Fantasia 2000/BV/Disney: Theaters: 53 (0) (all IMAX) Gross: $2.0 million (+11%) Average per theater: $38,056 Cume: $49.7 million (domestic)
(14) American Psycho/Lions Gate: Theaters: 1,012 (-230) Gross: $1.35 million (-50%) Average per theater: $1,334 Cume: $12.1 million
(15)The Skulls/Universal: Theaters: 1,340 (-707) Gross: $1.31 million (-52%) Average per theater: $975 Cume: $32.6 million
(16)High Fidelity/BV/Touchstone: Theaters: 806 (-425) Gross: $1.3 million (-40%) Average per theater: $1,635 Cume: $22.2 million
(17)Gossip/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,525 (0) Gross: $0.98 million (-58%) Average per theater: $645 Cume: $4.2 million
(18)Romeo Must Die/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 709 (-730) Gross: $0.84 million (-46%) Average per theater: $1,180 Cume: $53.7 million
(19)American Beauty/DreamWorks: Theaters: 791 (-339) Gross: $0.73 million (-46%) Average per theater: $923 Cume: $128.2 million
(20)Where the Money Is/USA Films: Theaters: 456 (-1,079) Gross: $0.3 million (-76%) Average per theater: $650 Cume: $5.4 million
(21)East Is East/Miramax: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(22)The Virgin Suicides/Paramount Classics: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(23)TIME CODE/Sony/Screen Gems: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(24)THE BIG KAHUNA/Lions Gate: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(25)Joe Gould's Secret/USA Films: (see EXPANSIONS above)
(26)COMMITTED/Miramax: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
(27)THE IDIOTS/USA Films: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)

"The Sopranos' " stranglehold on awards shows no sign of weakening.
HBO's runaway mob series -- a hit at last month's Golden Globes -- has staked out four nominations for best direction in a TV series from the Directors Guild of America, making it the first drama series ever to walk away with four mentions in a single category for the same year. The DGA's TV categories were announced Monday.
The four "Sopranos" helmers tapped for the best director award are: Daniel Attias, for the episode titled "46 Long"; Henry J. Bronchtein, for "Nobody Know Anything"; David Chase, for the pilot episode; and Allen Coulter, for "College." The "Sopranos" foursome is up against Thomas Schlamme for his work on the pilot episode of NBC's "The West Wing."
The nominees for best director in a TV comedy series are: James Burrows, for an episode titled "Yours, Mine, Ours" of NBC's "Will &amp; Grace"; Thomas Schlamme, for the episode "Small Town" from ABC's "Sports Night"; Pamela Fryman, for the "Frasier" episode "The Flight Before Christmas"; Katy Garretson, for the "Frasier" episode "Dr. Nora"; and Victoria Hochberg, for "The Man, The Myth, The Viagra" from HBO's racy "Sex and the City."
In the category of best director of a musical variety show, the DGA nominated Gerard Foley for CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman"; Dennie A. Gordon, for HBO's "Tracey Takes On ... End of the World"; Louis J. Horvitz, for the "71st Annual Academy Awards" on ABC; Rob Marshall for ABC's "Annie"; and Beth McCarthy Miller, for NBC's "Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary."
The Directors Guild of America Awards will be announced March 11.
'MALCOLM' ON THE RISE: The fledgling Fox smash sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle" is set to continue its comic form, as the network has ordered up 16 new episodes.
The light comedy has been a surprise hit since its debut last month and has been holding its turf as the top-ranked show during its 8:30-9 p.m. Sunday time slot. Its renewal comes as an expected move given the overall unspectacular lineup plaguing Fox of late.
Three of the 16 new "Malcolm" episodes will run as extra installments during the May sweeps; the remaining 13 are slated for the show's 2000-2001 fall season.
MALLRATS OF THE WORLD UNITE: Looks like MTV has stumbled upon a cost-efficient, foolproof formula for grabbing the undivided attention of 18- to 24-year-olds: Put real-life folks in probable confrontational situations, tape them, and then broadcast the video for the consumption of viewers worldwide.
Such is the concept of MTV's latest exploit -- "Mall Confession," another quasi-"drama" series being developed for the teen-music empire. In the cinema-verité tradition of "The Real World" and "Road Rules," the new "Mall Confession" is said to involve a traveling confessional booth that will solicit personal testimonies and intimate secrets from teens in malls across America.
No word yet if MTV's upright Carson Daly will be on hand to offer absolution.
THE HUMANITY OF IT ALL: And now a moment of silence for "Shasta."
The low-rated hip-hop sitcom, formerly titled "Shasta McNasty," will depart UPN's prime-time lineup next month. Starting March 21, the network will place the new cop drama, "The Beat," in the 9-10 p.m. Tuesday time slot. The move also will bump UPN's "Dilbert" toon from the schedule. Both departing shows will see their last air dates on March 14.
Produced by Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana ("Homicide"), "The Beat" follows Derek Cecil and Mark Ruffal as two young policemen fighting crime and personal evils in Manhattan's Lower East Side.
WHERE'S ROSIE: Rosie O'Donnell, seemingly the hardest-working woman on TV, will have a guest spot on NBC's "Third Watch" on Feb. 21.